Integrated energy generation and desalination system and method

Abstract

The present invention includes a method including providing an anode and a cathode; providing a desalination device operably coupled to establish an electrical potential between the anode and the cathode when the desalination device is operating; providing water containing dissolved solids; thereby establishing the electrical potential; reducing a salinity of the water by supplying the water to the desalination device; and generating electrical power by reducing the salinity of the water.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for integrated energy generation and desalination comprising:
 providing an anode and a cathode; 
 providing a desalination device operably coupled to establish an electrical potential between the anode and the cathode when the desalination device is operating; 
 providing water containing dissolved solids, thereby establishing the electrical potential between the anode and the cathode; 
 reducing a salinity of the water by supplying the water to the desalination device; and 
 generating electrical power by reducing the salinity of the water; 
 wherein an anode electrolyte is divided into a first and a second flow field by a porous separator situated parallel to the anode, wherein a first flow field is a relatively low-velocity flow field adjacent to the anode, and a second flow field is a relatively high-velocity flow field. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the anode comprises metal and the cathode is an air cathode. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the metal comprises at least one of (1) magnesium, aluminum, or zinc, mercury, bismuth, tin, or some combination thereof, or (2) Mg alloys selected from AZ31, AZ61, and AZ91 that contain 3%, 6%, and 9% aluminum, respectively; or
 wherein the metal is coated with bismuth, tin, or mercury. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the desalination device is an electrodialysis device, an electrode ionization-device, or an ion concentration polarization device. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the integrated energy generation and desalination method can operate in a reversible chemistry. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the anode is at least one of (1) at least partially surrounded by a filter to trap sludge, or (2) removable or replaceable. 
     
     
       7. A method for integrated energy generation and desalination comprising:
 providing a volume of water containing dissolved solids; 
 providing an anode and a cathode in fluid communication with the volume of water, wherein the anode and the cathode are operable to be connected to an electrical load located outside the volume of water; 
 filling at least a portion of a space between the anode and the cathode with at least a portion of the volume of water; 
 forming positive ions at an anode surface and forming negative ions at a cathode electrode, thereby establishing an electrical potential between the anode and the cathode; and 
 removing at least a portion of the dissolved solids from the volume of water; 
 wherein an anode electrolyte is divided into a first and a second flow field by a porous separator situated parallel to the anode, wherein a first flow field is a relatively low-velocity flow field adjacent to the anode, and a second flow field is a relatively high-velocity flow field. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the forming positive ions at the anode surface comprises the fluid communication of an electrolyte and the anode surface, or wherein the forming negative ions at a cathode surface comprises establishing fluid communication between oxygen and the cathode surface. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 7 , further comprising providing at least one pair of ion exchange membranes positioned in a space between the anode and the cathode, the at least one pair of ion exchange membranes each comprising an anion exchange membrane and a cation exchange membrane. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the anode comprises metal and the cathode is an air cathode. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the metal comprises at least one of (1) magnesium, aluminum, zinc, mercury, bismuth, tin, or some combination thereof, or (2) Mg alloys selected from AZ31, AZ61, and AZ91 that contain 3%, 6%, and 9% aluminum, respectively; or
 wherein the metal is coated with bismuth, tin, or mercury. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the removing at least a portion of the dissolved solids from the volume of water comprises using an electrodialysis device, an electrode ionization device, or an ion concentration polarization device. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the integrated energy generation and desalination method can operate in a reversible chemistry. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the anode is at least one of (1) at least partially surrounded by a filter to trap sludge, or (2) removable or replaceable. 
     
     
       15. A system for integrated energy generation and desalination comprising:
 an electrical battery comprising an anode and a cathode; and 
 a device for electrically-driven desalination coupled to the anode and the cathode to establish an electrical potential between the anode and the cathode when the device for electrically-driven desalination is operating; 
 wherein an anode electrolyte is divided into a first and a second flow field by a porous separator situated parallel to the anode, wherein a first flow field is a relatively low-velocity flow field adjacent to the anode, and a second flow field is a relatively high-velocity flow field. 
 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 15 , wherein the electrical battery comprises a metal-air battery. 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 16 , wherein the metal comprises at least one of (1) magnesium, aluminum, or zinc, mercury, bismuth, tin, or some combination thereof, or (2) Mg alloys selected from AZ31, AZ61, and AZ91 that contain 3%, 6%, and 9% aluminum, respectively; or
 wherein the metal is coated with bismuth, tin, or mercury. 
 
     
     
       18. The system of  claim 15 , wherein the device for electrically-driven desalination comprises an electrodialysis device. 
     
     
       19. The system of  claim 15 , wherein the integrated energy generation and desalination method can operate in a reversible chemistry. 
     
     
       20. The system of  claim 15 , wherein the anode is at least one of (1) at least partially surrounded by a filter to trap sludge, or (2) removable or replaceable. 
     
     
       21. A system for integrated energy generation and desalination comprising:
 an anode operable to be placed in fluid communication with an anode electrolyte; 
 a cathode operable to be placed in fluid communication with a cathode electrolyte and an oxygen supply; 
 one or more electrical conductors electrically connecting the anode and an electrical load to the cathode; and 
 at least one pair of ion exchange membranes comprising an anion exchange membrane and a cation exchange membrane positioned adjacent to each other,
 wherein the at least one pair of ion exchange membranes are positioned in a space between the anode and the cathode with each anion exchange membrane positioned nearer the anode and each cation exchange membrane positioned nearer the cathode, 
 wherein at least one space between the anion exchange membrane and the cation exchange membrane of each pair of ion exchange membranes is configured to receive a volume of water containing dissolved solids; and 
 wherein the anode electrolyte is divided into a first and a second flow field by a porous separator situated parallel to the anode, wherein a first flow field is a relatively low-velocity flow field adjacent to the anode, and a second flow field is a relatively high-velocity flow field. 
 
 
     
     
       22. System of  claim 21 , wherein the anode comprises at least one of (1) magnesium, aluminum, zinc, mercury, bismuth, tin, or some combination thereof, or (2) Mg alloys selected from AZ31, AZ61, and AZ91 that contain 3%, 6%, and 9% aluminum, respectively; or
 wherein the metal is coated with bismuth, tin, or mercury. 
 
     
     
       23. The system of  claim 21 , wherein the anode is placed in fluid communication with the anode electrolyte; or
 wherein the cathode is placed in fluid communication with the cathode electrolyte and the oxygen supply. 
 
     
     
       24. The system of  claim 21 , wherein the integrated energy generation and desalination method can operate in a reversible chemistry. 
     
     
       25. The system of  claim 21 , wherein the anode is at least one of (1) at least partially surrounded by a filter to trap sludge, or (2) removable or replaceable. 
     
     
       26. A method for integrated energy generation and desalination comprising:
 providing an anode and a cathode; 
 providing a desalination device operably coupled to establish an electrical potential between the anode and the cathode when the desalination device is operating; 
 providing water containing dissolved solids, thereby establishing the electrical potential between the anode and the cathode; 
 reducing a salinity of the water by supplying the water to the desalination device; 
 generating electrical power; and 
 switching between the step of reducing the salinity of the water and the step of generating electrical power to provide integrated energy generation and desalination; 
 wherein the anode electrolyte is divided into a first and a second flow field by a porous separator situated parallel to the anode, wherein a first flow field is a relatively low-velocity flow field adjacent to the anode, and a second flow field is a relatively high-velocity flow field. 
 
     
     
       27. The method of  claim 26 , wherein the integrated energy generation and desalination method can operate in a reversible chemistry. 
     
     
       28. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the integrated energy generation and desalination method can operate in a non-reversible chemistry. 
     
     
       29. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the integrated energy generation and desalination method can operate in a non-reversible chemistry. 
     
     
       30. The system of  claim 15 , wherein the integrated energy generation and desalination method can operate in a non-reversible chemistry. 
     
     
       31. The system of  claim 21 , wherein the integrated energy generation and desalination method can operate in a non-reversible chemistry. 
     
     
       32. The method of  claim 26 , wherein the integrated energy generation and desalination method can operate in a non-reversible chemistry.